Coastal seawater turbidity and thermal stress control growth of reef-building Porites spp. corals in Fiji.

ABSTRACT: Nearshore reefs, at the interface of land-sea interactions, provide essential ecosystem services, but are susceptible to multiple global and local stressors. These stressors can detrimentally impact coral growth and the continuity of the reef framework. Here, we analyse coral growth records (1998 - 2016) of massive Porites spp. colonies from nearshore reefs in Fiji. Our aim is to assess the role of thermal stress and turbidity on coral growth across a range of environments. Our findings reveal a negative linear relationship between linear extension and seawater turbidity across locations (GLM, R² = 0.42, p < 0.001), indicating that average coral growth is significantly influenced by local environmental conditions. On interannual timescales, all locations experienced a 14% to 30%

SUBMITTER: Samperiz A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12085587 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature